Ramatu Alhassan is facing the wrath of Muslim clerics in her community for getting pregnant while observing Iddah–a widowhood rite that requires that she abstains from sex.

 

A Deputy Imam in Akyem Tafo has ruled that 23-year-old should be given 100 lashes for violating her widowhood rites.

 

The Imam, Mallam Madhi Ahmed has defended the decision to flog Ramatu, citing Islamic laws as the reason for this action.

 

However speaking on Eyewitness News, Sheikh said the judgement will not hold since “it does not support the legal and constitutional regime under which the Muslim community is living in.”

 

” …We are all not in support of the pronouncement made by the Deputy Imam…In any case we were expecting that the Imam himself will give the judgement himself but it is his deputy and so we are still questioning the mandate of the deputy who is doing so.”

 

Sheik Aremeyaw explained that the Deputy Imam’s directive was also in contradiction with the Islamic laws, adding that he arrogated himself the power to pass a judgement.

 

“We all raise the question that there must be a control system, it must not be open that anybody sits anywhere and in his own accord, arrogate to himself the power to be able to embark on a judgement on this accusation.”

 

He explained that even in situations where Muslims are found under a jurisdiction which is non- Islamic, “the jurisprudence is different and in that particular case the supremacy of the law is respected”.

 

Shiek further condemned the judgement saying the Islamic religion does not outrightly hand down such a judgement to persons who have contradicted laws governing the religion.

 

“Mind you in Islam there is also room for people to be allowed the opportunity to repent when they have committed any moral evil or moral crime.I think that repentance is personal and we must give people an opportunity to connect with their God and seek repentance.”

 

“Islamic laws even when it comes to application of the dimensions of Islam is done within the institutional framework of Islamic law and what I mean by that is that Islam seeks to establish what we call the Islamic law courts which is presided over by a Magistrate,”Sheik said.

 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection has said it is awaiting the outcome of investigations on the incident.

 

The sector Minister Nana Oye Lithur said this at a press conference in Accra during the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the ministry.

 

Nana Oye Lithur said she is waiting for the outcome of the investigation because she had “heard different versions of the story.”

 

She added that “I’ve heard the recording of the Deputy Imam on a radio station; I also heard on a TV station that the police in the area was saying that the Imam has denied it and that they are investigating.”